Ambient Environmental Ozone and Variation of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) in Hairdressers and Healthcare Workers

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 20; no. 5; p. 4271
• Main Authors: Hildre, Tonje Trulssen, Heiro, Hilde, Sandven, Ingvill, Hammarström, Bato
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28-02-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air pollution; Air Pollution - analysis; Air quality; Asthma; Beauticians; Beauty salons; Brittleness; Commuting; DNA methylation; Environmental assessment; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Exposure; Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Testing; Hair; Hairdressers; Health care; Heart diseases; Humans; Inflammation; Latency; Leukocytes (eosinophilic); Medical personnel; Metal workers; Nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - analysis; Nitrogen dioxide; Occupational exposure; Occupational health; Ozone; Ozone - analysis; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Particulate Matter - analysis; Pedestrians; Respiratory diseases; Sensors; Sulfur dioxide; Norway; FeNO; healthcare workers; asthma; hairdressers; ozone; air quality; environmental exposures
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054271

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a breath-related biomarker of eosinophilic asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate FeNO variations due to environmental or occupational exposures in respiratory healthy subjects. Overall, 14 hairdressers and 15 healthcare workers in Oslo were followed for 5 workdays. We registered the levels of FeNO after commuting and arriving at the workspace and after ≥3 h of work, in addition to symptoms of cold, commuting method, and hair treatments that were performed. Both short- and intermediate-term effects after exposure were evaluated. Environmental assessment of daily average levels of air quality particulate matter 2.5 (PM
), particulate matter 10 (PM
), nitrogen dioxide (NO
), sulphur dioxide (SO
), and ozone (O
) indicated a covariation in ozone and FeNO in which a 35-50% decrease in ozone was followed by a near 20% decrease in FeNO with a 24-h latency. Pedestrians had significantly increased FeNO readings. Symptoms of cold were associated with a significant increase in FeNO readings. We did not find any FeNO increase of statistical significance after occupational chemical exposure to hair treatments. The findings may be of clinical, environmental and occupational importance.